Good Season, Team

After countless victories and championships, the 2015 Varsity Soccer Teams recount on their season.

The 2015 soccer season is, undoubtedly, one of the best soccer seasons that KIS has ever had. From AISA to KAIAC championships and countless victories and incredible goals, this year’s season definitely seems like a memorable one.

What are you most looking forward to being on the team in the coming years?

Clare Kwon (‘18)

(L-R): Clare Kwon, Gayoung Lee

What’s the best thing about this year’s team? The best thing about this year’s team is how much we have pulled through over the season. This year’s team is really new with only 10 returning members from last season. There were 11 fresh, brand new players, and for some of them, it was even their first time playing full-field. Honestly, we all didn’t know if we would be able to pull it through since the team was so new; however, the effort and hard work everyone put into brought us good results and success.

One word to describe the season. Nonstop

Favorite memory on/off the field? on the field: SIS game Our first loss to SIS was on our home field, when we lost to SIS 2:0. It was a shock for all of us, but we didn’t have anything to say since we all knew we could have done better. So, we ran our butts off and ran our hardest in our next game against SIS on their field. 5:0, it was a big victory, and we surely deserved it! off the field: just talking and eating with everyone Honestly, all the time I spend with everyone off the field is just one happy memory. Talking with the upperclassmen, cheering on the boys, eating food with the team, they will all add up to one happy memory I’ll have at the end.

Any improvements you’d like to see? I just hope we would do our best during AISA and KAIAC tournaments. I really hope there wouldn’t be losses that we could have prevented if we tried harder.

“What’s the worst thing to do at practice?” I guess running and conditioning…It is the best, but also the worst thing to do at practice. The moment of conditioning…is really painful and hard, but after I finish, it feel really good and accomplished. I know that the pain will pay off since it will make me in better shape.

What are you most looking forward to being on the team? I’m just looking forward to the few weeks left in the season. I wish I’ll make more memories with each and every member in the team, especially the seniors leaving next year! 🙂

Gayoung Lee (‘17)

(L-R): Clare Kwon, Gayoung Lee

What’s the best thing about this year’s team? I met phenomenal soccer players as well as the coaches. Since this season was my first year of soccer, I struggled a lot in the beginning… and they’re the ones who made me come all the way through until now!

One word to describe the season UNFORGETTABLE

Favorite memory on/off the field? There was this day when the coaches and managers prepared a surprise party for us because we were all despondent of loss against SIS. The practice was extended two hours and we thought that exhausting conditioning was waiting for us, but instead, coaches prepared us foods and a video that contained encouraging words from last year’s seniors! That day is the day that surely no one in our team is going to forget..

Any improvements you’d like to see? I personally want to improve on my soccer skills and be better the next season. If this season was a 50% of becoming used to the mood and drills, next season would be 100%!

What’s the worst thing to do at practice? Nothing?

What are you most looking forward to being on the team in the coming years? Becoming like family members with the whole team, and improving my soccer skills as I mentioned previously!

Any improvements you’d like to see? Some improvements could be that our team could pass the ball more and take practices more seriously

What’s the worst thing to do at practice? Sprints! or Spider Man

What are you most looking forward to being on the team in the coming years? Captain Kuk

Returning Players

Annie Na (’15), Michelle Yoo (’15), Steve Kim (’15), Kevin Hong (’15)

What’s the best thing about this year’s team?

One word to describe the season

Favorite memory on/off the field?

Any improvements you’d like to see?

What’s the worst thing to do at practice?

How have things changed since you first joined the team?

Annie Na (‘15) – Captain

(L-R): Michelle Yoo, Annie Na

What’s the best thing about this year’s team? The best thing about this year’s team is that everyone is so close with one another and it’s like one big family and like the team isn’t divided into groups like before.

One word to describe the season Competent

Favorite memory on/off the field? When we bonded as a team, playing mafia. It’s always so intense on the field but I love how we can also engage with one another off the field as person to person instead of merely through soccer.

Any improvements you’d like to see? By this point, I don’t think there is much improvement to make except for keeping up the basic rules of the team- first to, communicate, crashing the post. Besides that, because I know that these girls can play intense soccer, so I’ll leave the rest to themselves.

What’s the worst thing to do at practice? Um… skipping it?

How have things changed since you first joined the team? I like to think that the Varsity Girls Soccer Team is consistent with itself in that the upperclassmen are always encouraging and welcoming of the lowerclassmen on and off the field. I guess nothing’s really changed except for the people; the intensity and the bonding of the team is the same as long as I can remember.

Michelle Yoo (‘15) – Captain

(L-R): Shea Drake, Yena Kim, Michelle Yoo, Sara Drake, Annie Na

What’s the best thing about this year’s team? Team bonding, everyone’s so chill

One word to describe the season Unforgettable

Favorite memory on/off the field? Playing mafia

Any improvements you’d like to see? More fun practices

What’s the worst thing to do at practice? I never really liked the 3 vs. 2 drill that we do.

How have things changed since you first joined the team? I value soccer more now.

Steve Kim (‘15) – Captain

What’s the best thing about this year’s team? They say the greatest blessing is enjoying what you do and at the same time, being the very best at it. The 2014-15 Varsity Boys Soccer Team’s passion for the sport is unparalleled to that of any professional team and as we continue to enjoy what we do, our spectacular results speak for themselves. Out of the three trophies up for grabs, we have secured one at AISA, have our fingertips on the other (KAIAC League), and are the strongest competitors for the last (KAIAC Tournament). As athletes, there is no better thing than winning titles and trophies. However, it is not all about winning for us as we are supplemented with lively team atmosphere, tight relationship across grade levels, and just overall the greatest way to wrap up my high school life.

One word to describe the season Determination

Favorite memory on/off the field? So far, winning the AISA Tournament was without a doubt, the best moment of the season. The tournament started on a Friday with 15 boys and ended on Sunday with 11 remaining due to severe injuries. It is such a valuable experience because everyone worked so hard to win game after game. It is a feeling like no other to have ten of the greatest teammates working for a common goal and achieving it.

Any improvements you’d like to see? At this point in the season, it is crystal clear that KIS is the strongest team in the KAIAC Red Division, and that the disparity between our best and worst form should not be this great. Our weakness always has been that we are slow to start getting our heads in the game and simply wake up to focus and win. If we can start every game with the same level of energy and concentration we end with, there would very few teams that could even come close to defeating us.

What’s the worst thing to do at practice? Perhaps the most frightening phrase for the boys on the soccer team would be “on the line”, as it is followed by Coach Evans and Jacobsen rushing us to the sidelines for what we call “suicides”. We start on the opposite side of the field and work our way across intervals at full sprint forward and backward, each interval further from the starting line than before. As much as our bodies frantically refuse to run another inch, it makes the team stronger both physically and mentally.

How have things changed since you first joined the team? It is almost difficult to describe in words just how far the team has come since the first day of tryouts back in February. Our rate of development in terms of skill as players, leadership as captains, positive attitude as teammates, and most of all sheer determination as men, has been nothing but positive incline.

Kevin Hong (‘15)

What’s the best thing about this year’s team? Team bonding is stronger than any other soccer seasons that we had. Everyone is close to each other and no one is left out.

One word to describe the season Solid

Favorite memory on/off the field? Team dinner with the whole team after the friendly match with SFS has to be my favorite memory off the field. We went to dinosaur meat and ate tons. However, it is hard for me to think of a “favorite memory” on the field because every moment on the field was valuable for me.

Any improvements you’d like to see? I just want this flow to be continued.

What’s the worst thing to do at practice? Suicide. Suicide. Suicide.

How have things changed since you first joined the team? As I mentioned earlier, team bonding is the strongest out of every season. We used to have the awkward gap between the upperclass and the underclass, but none of that is present in this season.

Want to see how the season started? Take a look at the interview article from pre-season!